Radiator for cooling fluids



Patented May i5, i923.

SAMUEL w. avertirons, or PLAINFIELD, NEW masiva.

RADIATOR Foa cooLrNGrLUIDs.

' Application mea necembr '6, i921. serial No. 520,269.

' T0 all whom t may concern.' v

described .in my Patent `No. 1,378,724,

granted May 17, 1921. In such system the water and steam from the enginejacket is 'discharged into a separating chamber in the i bottom of theradiator, the water being returned to the engine jacket and thej steamrising `into th`e air-cooled passages of the radiator, so that theradiator operates as an 11p-How condenser, `the condensate returning bygravity against theJ upward flow 1 of steam.

In said patent thismethod is referred to as applicable to radiatorsofthe-types which are now employed as standard'eq-uipment onautomobiles," trucks,l etc., but such radiators are primarily designedfor cooling of water instead'lof steam, by down-How instead 'of up-low,and I halve' discovered that in the practical operation of suchradiatorsby the steam cooling system, the potential cooling capacity is notproperly utilized. y

The primary difficulty' is 4that the fan which draws the cooling airthrough the radiator, induces a muchv heavier blast in the centralportions of the condensing area.

than at the sides. Consequently the central portions are capable ofradiating much more heat and condensing much more steam per unit ofcooling surface, than are the sides. But the side passages which areleast cool `are designed to have the same, or less, flow resistance thanthev central portions, withthe result that where the relativelyfrictionless` massless steam is substituted for water, the balancebetween the several up and down passages, as regards flow capacity andcondensation capacity. is completely upset.A

-Careful experiment shows that long before the total volume of steam tobe condensed becomes great enough to tax the cooling capacity of theradiatoras awhole, the inferior cooling capacity at the Sides will beoverltaxed. The heat therefore creeps sages,-

higher up, heating the side portions; the air -becomeslighter so thatthehot air and steam riseinto the empty space at the top of the radiatordisplacing/the colder air downward (because the Colder air is heavierand because air, even at 212 `F.,'is aboutheaviertlian steam); but thesame or even greater volume of steam flowing directly up into thebetter-cooled lcentral portions is condensed long before it reaches thetop, the passages and air above it being kept cold bythe fan. .Theup-fiowing steam can' push the air upward only the limitedheighttowhich'such steam rises before being condensed'.

As a result there remains iin the central portion of the radiator a bodyof air which is supported from below by up-iowing steam and sealed inabove by steam rising from the sides. Reverse curl or eddying of suchsteam from the sides may serve to `sca'veng'eo'ut more orless of the airin the relatively open' space above the honeycomb, but has practicallyno effect on the air trapped and.I kept cold in the narrow central`passages of the radiator. Hence the air thus trappedstays trapped,practically eX-` `cluding the steam which might otherwise low'in fromboth top and-bottom.

"While this obectionable action may be more readily analyzed andunderstood in connection ,with radiators of the type', in which thesteam passages are parallel vertical conduits having no 4cross flowconnections except` at top and bottom, nevertheless, the same action isfound to occur to an undesirable extent in radiators of 'the typel inwhich the honeycomb is built up' from a multiplicity of short horizontaltubes forming an interconnected net-'work of pas- In its broadestaspects, my invention includes proportioni'ng and arranging the steam`condensing passages with reference to the dierent portions of the areaof the radiator so that the steam will flow through. all of thecondenser passages at rates which will insure driving the contained air:toa point suitable for its collection and discharge instead of trappingit. f

The preferred point for collection and discharge of the air is the upperspacein thev radiator above the top of the condensing passages. To driveit there I arran e matters so that steam will not reach At e well cooledcentral portions of the vradiator except from below. There are manyfactors, y

one or more of which may be varied separately .or together to bringabout this result.

The up-flow paths at the sides may have their flow capacity decreased.This may be 'accomplished by making them longer, or of smallercross-section, or arranging them so that the rflowing steam will bechecked by 'a succession of high-angled impacts, all of which factorsare utilized in the device'of my prior application` Serial Number 500,-382, filed September' l?, 1921. The decrease ofilow section andthe`obstruction by impact may be distributed from bottom to top of theside passages, as in said application, or may be localized at desiredpoints.

Where, as in this present application, the radiator has ahoneycombformed vof a multiplicity of short horizontal, tubes, .af-

g fording a multiplicity of cross-connections for lateral distributionotsthe steam, two ways are shown. y

One way involves decreasing the cross section of the steam How passagesat the sides, preferably by making the tubes the same in number perunitV of front areal but of much larger sizes for the sides tharflqforithe central portion. This has the desired 'effect of increasing theresistance, thereby decreasing the steam flow at the sides. At the sametime, it' has the separate anddistinct advantages of increasing thecooling surface to lwhich such flow is exposed and of increasing theinducedI flow of air in those portions of the honeycomb which are out ofthe direct path of the fan blast. This feature is a dis-h tinctadvantage even where the radiator ist used for .water-cooling in theusual way, instead of for my preferred steam-condensing method.

The above and other features of my invention will be more fullyunderstood from the following description in connection with Fig. 1 is afront elevation indicating 'the relations and relative sizes of theairpassages in one type of radiator constructed in accordance with mypresent invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional detailed views showing the -proportions andrelations of'l four adjacent tubes in two different groups takenrespectively from the sides and from the center of the honeycomb on thedotted 'lines 2 -2 and 3 3, respectively.

It will' be understood that Fig. 1 is ona reduced scale; that the scalefor Figs. 2 and 8 is somewhat larger; and that the scale for Figs. 4 and5 is still larger. i

Figs. 4 and 5 are practically full size end views of two of the sizes oftubes employed'.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic vertical section intermediatey the frontendrear faces of a cross tube radiator which embodies another fform of myinvention.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on the line 7-,7, of Fig. 6. f

Fig. 8 is 'a detailed.perspective View of one of the deflectors shown inFig. 6.

Tt will be understood that the radiators as shown in these drawings areof the air cooled type, and adapted for use in con'ibina-- tion with themotor, water supply system, pump and fan commonly employed on automotivevehicles. They may be, and preferably are, units adapted to besubstituted for the radiator 4, in the combination ol. parts shown inFig. -1 of my above-mentioned patent; but they may'b employed,wit-h51-or without modifications,Vwherever an equalf flow, up-fl'ow, orair scavenging condenser is desired.

In Fig. 1 of the present drawings, the radiator, here used as acondenser, comprises t-he` separating chamber- 1 into which the steam orhot water and steam from the engine is discharged through vpipe tweenwhich lows the steam to be condensed. These interspaces terminate in theempty' space 5 in the top of the radiator.` There may be an over-flowpipe 13 through which air may breathe in and out, according as thevolume of steam supplied from below increases and decreases. There isusually also the filler cap 14 through which air inevitably enters, whenfresh water is supplied to replace losses. The in and out fiow of vairmay be modified to some extent if breather valves such asshown in Fig. 6of my said patent are employed, but they will not prevent ail' inlet andoutlet, hence the entire interior of the radiator must be considered .asinitially, and frequently, air-filled.

The tubes constituting the honeycomb are shown ashaving body portions 6which are expanded at the ends to form hexagonal cnlargements 7. Thetubes are all' of the same length and may be, say 2% or 3 inches long.

and the hexagonal enlargements are all of the same diameter and may be,say inch in diameter. In the form shown inFigs. G

The water, including condensate, flows out of' and 7, the body portions6 are shown as bel ing also of the same diameter, but in Figs.'

1 to 5, said body portions are shownas of three different sizes, varyingfrom say inch or less, for the size shown in Figs. 3 and 5, to say fginch for size shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

While Athe actual size may vary quite Aw idely,'it will be evident fromthe above that the maximum cross section for flow of 4air through thetubes may be appreciably vgreater for the side tubes than for the cenirow is the smallest, and the successive rows on either side thereof areprogressively larger from the center to the sides, but in practice,

` three well selected sizes are sufiicient for the purpose.

From my` full explanation of the principles of the invention, vit willbe understood I that the tubes 4P, 4b, at the sides are so large andhave such smallv intersiiaces that the flow capacity of the interspaceswill be small as compared with the flowcapacities of the centralinter-spaces, for the purpose and-v with the result that when steam lisevolved in sufiicient quanities to penetrate to the 'top of thehoneycomb through the side interspaces, the resistance to such ow wilt.build up 'a back-pressure sufficient to supply the large amo-unt ofsteam required at the'central portions to utilize the great coolingcapacity at the center and inaddition to lift the body of cold air inthe upper central portions.

It will" be' understood that in this forni of radiator, the interspacesfor flow ot' steam constitute an interconnected net work and.

that the higher resistances at the sides due.

to the large tubes 4b, and to the next larger tubes 4, will have vtheeffect of' deflect-ing ste-ain 'from the center toward the sides sothatin this case ci'oss How from the sides and lip-flow from the centerco-operate to break up and expel the body of cold air in4 'the uppercentral portion, which would otherwise be vtrapped by steam rushing upat the sides and`curling back through the empty space 5.

In the modification shown in Figs. G, 7, and S, the honeycomb' is oi.the same coiistruction as al'iove-descri-bed. but the tubes 4 all havetheir body portions of the saine diameter. In this ease' the'resistancetoupflow of steam at the-sidesand partial de` fiection thereof towardthe center, is affected by nieans ot obstructions or defiectors'at' thesides. As shown inthe drawings, these Aoonsistot sheetunetal obtructions15,'which are preferably 'widest so as to afford the greatestvobstruction nearest the sides of the radiator; and they are preferablynarrowed lower level and extending a considerably A shorter distancetoward the center. It will be obvious,l however, that the number,widths, taper, and direction of the obstinetions may bewidelyvaried,keeping in mind the principle of my present invention and the purpose tobel served by the ol'istructions.

I may insert a central baffle plate suoli as 15b to so restrict thecross section of the steam flow area that the velocity of the steam willbe increased so that the con-tained air will be swept along ahead ot"the steamand into the upper space of the radiator.

As is commonwithradiators ofthis type, the honeycomb may be built upbyassembling the tubes in any suitable support, and soldering or brazingthe enlarged ends by dipping in molten tin or lead. The body portion orshell of the radiator comprises the lusual peripheral wall and the frontand rear walls above and below the honeycomb. The thickness of theradiator is. approximately the saine as the length ot the tubes, but theheight of the radiator is preferably suchas to leave the above-describedspace 5 at the top.

It will b recognized that the torni shown in Figs. l to 5 hereot isdistinguishable from .v

the torni shown in Figs. to S, for the reason. among other things, thatin Fig. l. two factors are brought into play for bringing about thedesired result. fiist. the expedient oil decreasing flow capacity at thesides and, second. the expedientotincreasing cooling area ofi the tubes.nevertheless. so far as-concerns the niain functional features o'f niyinvention. either the ends or the body 4portions iiiigbt be squares orequilatei-a'l triangles.

I claim: i

1. An air cooled radiator having Aa multiplioity. of' `f`ront-torearpassages for through fiow ofthe cooling air, the walls delining saidpassagesbeing spaced apart to afford interspaces for fiow of Huid mediumto be cooled therein," said air passages being of larger flow sectionfor the sides than for .the central portions of the radiator.

- tiplieity of 2. An air cooled" radiator having a mulfront-torearlpassages for through How of the cooling air, thel walls defining saidpassages being spaced apart to afford intel-spaces for (lowo' fluidmedium to be cooled therein, said interspaces being of greaterflow-section for the central than forthe side portions of the radiator.

3.' A radiator as specified in claim l with the further feature that thepassages are arranged in successive vertical rows, with the verticaldistances between the axes of adjacent passages in the same rowsubstantially the saine for all rows regardless of the diameters of thetubes comprising the rows.

LL, A radiator as specified in claim l with l the further feature thatthe number of air passages per unit area is the same for all1 parts ofthe area. i

5. A radiator having a honeycomb and a chamberbelow the honeycomb, thehoneycomb comprising short horizontal tubes'havlnglenlarged hexagonalends assembled in -parallel relation with the said hexagonal endsinterfitting, the hexagonal ends being all of substantially the samediameter and the intermediate body portions off the tubes being ofsmaller diameter for the central .tubes than for those' nearer thesides.

6. A radiator ofthe variable-duty, fanicooled-type, of large frontareaand relatively thin from front to" rear, comprising a lower chamber, anupper chamber and an intermediate portion Vtrax'fersed by a multiplicityof short, open-ended front-to-rear tubes for through draft ofthe coolingair and affording between them, ,interiorly of the radiator, amultiplicity of up-and-down cross-communicating paths of differentcooling capacities or rates,for flow of fluid between s'aid lower andupper chambers; means for supplying steam or vapor in said lower chamberand withdrawing condensate therefrom; andmeans for permitting escape ofair from said upper chamber in response to the internal pressure changesattendant upon use of thevdevice; the interior paths of lesscondensingcapacity being 'arranged to have greater flow resistance than those ofgreater condensing capacity.

A radiator of the variable-duty, .fancooled type, of large front areaand relatively thi'n from front. to rear, comprising a lower chamber, anupper chamber and an intermediate portion traversed by a multiplicity ofshort, open-ended front-to-rear tubes for through draft of the coolingdraft 4and affording between them', intcriorly of the radiator, amultiplicity of upand-down\ 'the radiator", a .multiplicity ofcross-communicating paths of different cooling capacitiesor rates, forHow of Huid between said lower and upper chambers; means for supplyingsteam or vapor in said lower chamber and withdrawing condensatetherefrom; means for permitting escape of air from said upper chamber inresponse to the internal pressurechanges attendantupon use of theVdevice; the interior upand-down paths of theless cooled portions lbeine' arranged to have more coolinr surface n l n n per unit front areathan have paths through better cooled portions.

SMA radiator of the variable-duty, fancooled type, of large -front areaand relatively thin from front to rear, comprising a lower chamber, anupper chamber and an lintermediate portion traversed by a multiplicityof short, open-ended front-torear tubes for through draft of the coolingdraft and affording .between them, interiorly of the radiator, amultiplicity of up-and-down cross-communicating paths of different cool.ing capacitles or rates, for flow of fiuldbevtween said lower and upperchambers;

means for supplying steam or vapor in said lower chamber and withdrawingcondensate therefrom; and means for permitting-escape of air vfrom saidupper chamber in responseto the internal pressure changes attendant uponuse of the device; the interior up-anddown paths of the less cooledportions beingy arranged to have more upflow re sistanee than have pathsthrough better cooled portions.

9. A radiator.of the variable-duty, fancooled type, of large front areaand relaf lower chamber and withdrawinol condensate therefrom; and meansfor permitting escape. in responseof air from said upper chamber to thelnternal pressure changes .attendant upon use of the device; incombination withbaffles or defiectors for causing flow of the steam orvapor toward the better cooled central portions,A of the radiator.

Signed' at New York in the county of New York and' State of New Yorkthis 5th day of December A. D. 1921.

SAMUEL WV. RUSHMORE,

